Sourdough

Total time: 1 hour, plus at least 4 1/2 hours rising time for the dough Servings: Makes 2 small round loaves, or boules Note: Adapted from a recipe in "King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking." This recipe calls for "ripe" starter: The starter should have been "fed" 12 hours before you make the dough (see Whole wheat starter recipe). For a slightly more pronounced sour flavor, feed the starter up to 16 hours before making the dough. This recipe also calls for a baking stone and parchment paper.

There may be no better illustration of how Semsa Denizsel works than her sourdough bread, which is some of the best in Istanbul. It came about almost by accident. One day on a whim, she decided to make some bread, just like that. "I've never been a baker; I've always been a cook. I don't have the patience," she says. But somehow she found herself obsessed. She set up a notebook and tried something different every day, taking notes in an uncharacteristically precise way. She researched flours from all over and eventually settled on an Anatolian heirloom wheat whose origins are more than 8,000 years old. Denizsel finally got it right after attending a workshop in Rome given by master pizza chef Gabriele Bonci.

Dear SOS: Could you possibly get the recipe for the brownies at Boudin Bakery near South Coast Plaza? They are the most delicious brownies I have ever tasted! Mindy Morse Los Angeles Dear Mindy: It may be most famous for its San Francisco sourdough, but Boudin Bakery puts out an equally mean brownie. Thick and almost fudge-like in consistency, it's richly flavored with a slightly sweet finish. Arm yourself with a big glass of milk before delving into one of these winners.

More Neapolitan-style pizza hits L.A. when Wildcraft Sourdough Pizza opens Feb. 25 in Culver City in the historic Beaux Arts Washington Building on Culver Boulevard. Set to open for lunch and dinner, the sit-down pizza place will serve wood-fired sourdough pizza that crosses the Neapolitan tradition with Southern California culinary inventiveness. The "wild" in the restaurant's name is a reference to the wild yeast in the sourdough starter that is used to make the dough for the pizzas. The "mother dough," fed daily, is the work of executive chef Tin Vuong (also the chef at Abigaile in Hermosa Beach)

Has Reichl ever experienced a more honest prawn than at Killer Shrimp, in Venice? Tender shrimp basted in a savory sauce served with a large colander of sourdough bread surely deserve a mention. KARL GROMELSKI Santa Monica

OBSESSED with baking bread, I was just last night trying to figure out what to do about a starter. This morning your article ["Hot on the Trail of Sourdough," by Amy Scattergood, Jan. 30] gave me inspiration as well as helpful hints. Sandra Messick Bra, Italy -- THANKS for a wonderful article on sourdough. There was enough detail and discussion of the potential pitfalls that I felt like I could give it a go. If you're fascinated by the whole fermentation thing, I recommend "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Katz.

As a not-quite-sixtyish woman who has stayed in "youth" hostels from San Francisco to Istanbul, I add my applause to Arthur Frommer's recommendations ("Hostels Serve Young, Young at Heart," On a Budget, Aug. 11). Hostels provide inexpensive lodging and unique opportunities to expand cultural horizons. The hostel at Ft. Mason in San Francisco has a kitchen, where my new hostel friends and I prepared an Italian meal. Not only was it delicious, but it also allowed me to introduce my international dining companions to a San Francisco delicacy: sourdough bread.

Dear SOS: I hope you can obtain the recipe for the great crab cakes I had at Traxx in Union Station. Hope they're not too difficult to make. Ruth Mayle Northridge Dear Ruth: These light, crisp crab cakes are big on flavor and size. Large chunks of crabmeat are gently folded into a colorful mix of diced red onion, parsley, cilantro and minced sourdough with more than a hint of spice thrown in for added kick. -- Traxx crab cakes Total time: 30 minutes Servings: 5 Note: Adapted from Traxx restaurant in L.A. The restaurant serves these with a chipotle mayonnaise.

A well-known brand in the city's signature sourdough bread industry has sold its last loaves. The plant that produced Parisian sourdough bread was shut down Friday by the bankrupt Kansas City company that has owned it for the last decade. The Parisian label was a staple at Bay Area stores and restaurants for 149 years. Interstate Bakeries shut down the bakery to cut costs, a company spokesman said.

Not all turkeys are made of flesh and bones. The bakers at Pioneer Boulangerie in Santa Monica make their turkeys out of sourdough. There are also sourdough pumpkins and sourdough cornucopias. Epi Hernandez and his brother, Gabino, shape the holiday loaves for the Boulangerie. And they put a lot of detail into the birds. The tail feathers stand out, the wings are gracefully marked, the claws are defined, and a raisin marks the eye.

I got back from Seattle dead tired from the flight. I know, I know, it's just 2½ hours, but I was seated in front of a family traveling with at least four screaming kids. (And I was unlucky enough to have been on the same flight with them going out as well!) I was starving. I set down my bags and pulled out the loaf of bread I'd bought at Sitka & Spruce , which my friend Roberta claimed was the best in the city. Must be, because the four of us devoured an entire loaf before dinner at her house.

Dear SOS: Could you possibly get the recipe for the brownies at Boudin Bakery near South Coast Plaza? They are the most delicious brownies I have ever tasted! Mindy Morse Los Angeles Dear Mindy: It may be most famous for its San Francisco sourdough, but Boudin Bakery puts out an equally mean brownie. Thick and almost fudge-like in consistency, it's richly flavored with a slightly sweet finish. Arm yourself with a big glass of milk before delving into one of these winners.

Dear SOS: I hope you can obtain the recipe for the great crab cakes I had at Traxx in Union Station. Hope they're not too difficult to make. Ruth Mayle Northridge Dear Ruth: These light, crisp crab cakes are big on flavor and size. Large chunks of crabmeat are gently folded into a colorful mix of diced red onion, parsley, cilantro and minced sourdough with more than a hint of spice thrown in for added kick. -- Traxx crab cakes Total time: 30 minutes Servings: 5 Note: Adapted from Traxx restaurant in L.A. The restaurant serves these with a chipotle mayonnaise.

OBSESSED with baking bread, I was just last night trying to figure out what to do about a starter. This morning your article ["Hot on the Trail of Sourdough," by Amy Scattergood, Jan. 30] gave me inspiration as well as helpful hints. Sandra Messick Bra, Italy -- THANKS for a wonderful article on sourdough. There was enough detail and discussion of the potential pitfalls that I felt like I could give it a go. If you're fascinated by the whole fermentation thing, I recommend "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Katz.

THERE are few things as treasured, in home kitchens or professional bakeries, as sourdough starter. Bread bakers feed it religiously, on a strict schedule, like pets or children; they carry the stuff with them when they move; they hand down jars of it through generations like heirloom jewelry.

San Francisco may have the reputation of a great sourdough city, but Santa Ana doesn't do too badly for itself, either. There the Gold Coast Baking Co. is turning out golden, crusty loaves that are babied from starter to finish. Mark Press, Gold Coast president, says it takes 29 to 36 hours to turn out a batch. Most of that time is devoted to fermentation, which is the key to the rich tang. "A mellow sour that stays with you is the ideal," Press says.

Dear SOS: Hope you can help. During a trip to the Pacific Northwest, we stopped in Bend, Ore., and had a delightful dinner at the Pine Tavern restaurant. To start the dinner, we were served several baskets of the most delicious scones we have ever tasted. We complimented the owner and he said they were from his grandmother's recipe. Is there a chance you could obtain the recipe? --LESLIE Dear Leslie: These fried sourdough scones are quite lovely and light.

A well-known brand in the city's signature sourdough bread industry has sold its last loaves. The plant that produced Parisian sourdough bread was shut down Friday by the bankrupt Kansas City company that has owned it for the last decade. The Parisian label was a staple at Bay Area stores and restaurants for 149 years. Interstate Bakeries shut down the bakery to cut costs, a company spokesman said.